Civil Service World's regular guide to the very best in Whitehallese
We’ll need to run this past ministers
I will personally make sure this gets nowhere near a minister. In fact I don’t even remember discussing this with you.
The cost/benefit analysis doesn’t quite stack up
Nice try, but I’m axing your vanity project.
Concerned
Somewhere in Whitehall, a senior official is about to go ballistic. One step away from an apocalypse of “deep concern”.
Pilot scheme
We don’t want to implement this policy, but a pilot should keep the minister happy until the reshuffle.
Core script
Grammar be damned, you will find a way to shoehorn the latest departmental buzzwords into this press release.
Purdah
I really would love to help you but, you know, we're in purdah.
Previous editions:
Terminological inexactitudes: handy translations of Whitehall jargon (Vol. I)
Terminological inexactitudes: handy translations of Whitehall jargon (Vol. 2)
Terminological inexactitudes: handy translations of Whitehall jargon (Vol. 3)